When my mother asked me to eulogize my Dad, there was no doubt I had to do it for her, but I became very concerned over what it was that I should say to him.   I could tell my Dad, in front of all of you, how much I loved him and how important he was to me, but he already knew all that.   I could tell him how proud I was of him for all that he was to me, a great father, a good friend, a bosom buddy and that I wouldn't have traded him for any other Dad, but I knew that to do so here and now might only lead me to thinking later that perhaps I had cheated my own father out of the simple pleasure of hearing me speak these words while he was still with me.   Dad, if there ever was a time when you felt that you didn't hear these words often enough, then for that I say I am truly sorry.

Yes, I was troubled by this responsibility Ma and I didn't know how I would fare.   Then, it dawned on me!   Why not take a cue from my father himself who always believed that in the face of great sadness and adversity, you must press onward with all your might if necessary and never be tempted to look back.   And all of us here today knows that my father lived out the true meaning of these very words he preached and perhaps more than any other being.   So, as his only son Ma I am honored to be able to pick up and carry Dad's cross and to speak not to him, but for him.   I know my Dad would yet again be proud of me.

So let me first turn to you, all of those here who are neither relatives nor comrades, faces we may or may not know, but friends who have come to honor my father today and bid him a final farewell.   Always know that he cherished the moments where he could engage in small talk with you, be it of hobby, of family, and even of war itself.   Know too that because of this, friends though you were of him, and friends you will remain of us.

To the Ex-POW's in attendance today and especially to the Bataan Death March survivors, know that when you battled side by side, thousands of miles from home, my own father still just a teenager, that you were joining far more that your hands together on that dreadful day in April of '42.   No, on that day you became a second family, bonded to my father for life by a determined spirit and through a passion for each other that even I was envious of.   But, know too that as his son I always understood the need for my father to maintain these familiar ties to each of you and when he returned home after spending time with you, I could see in his eyes a special peace and happiness and I knew that I had to welcome you home too. May God bless you all for giving my father that special peace.

Now, let me turn back to his immediate family.

To his 8 grandchildren and especially to Scott, to pepere you were a playful boy who grew into a young man very quickly.   There were many times, often at ungodly hours, where my father reached out to you for help and you were always there for him.   From simple groundskeeping, to maintenance and repair, to even bailing him out of his own mess when he took his tinkering a bit too far, he called, and you responded.   Though he loved not one of you any more than the other, you took a special seat in his life.   So to each of you we say thank-you for making him feel that while any man can be a grandfather, to you he was your pepere too.

To my 3 sisters I say this.   By virtue of my college days and though he often wished otherwise, I had the privilege of spending more time under one roof with Dad than either of you.   Although we did have a special father-son relationship, I could often sense, whether rightly or wrongly, that Dad's love for his 3 girls was exceeded only by that which he had for Mom.   He spoke often of each of you reflecting on special moments in your childhood that he could readily recall...and most with a chuckle.   But as the discussion turned the pages to pieces of your adult lives, I could see Dad beaming with such pride that I often wondered just what he would be saying if just one of you were my brother!   But I want all to know this, that I learned more about each of you from Dad than I had ever bothered to learn myself and thanks to Dad, you will always be just as special to me as my sisters, as you were to him as his daughters.

And finally, to you Mom..or to Pee Wee, Half-Pint, to Little One, or to whatever else he might have called you today, I can say emphatically that Dad's whole world revolved around you.   His efforts to please you bordered on an obsession, controlling every step he took and made me ponder at times if anything else really did matter.   He would browse the aisles of different gift shops looking left and right for that special something, never for Yvette or Mom but always for Pee Wee.   Yet, as you and Dad grew older together then became empty nesters and Dad's body began to feel it's years, you were there to nurture him, to nurse him, to dress him.   You became his tireless escort through countless visits to Doctor's offices, and it was during these times where Dad had realized that you were more than just Pee Wee, Half Pint, or Little One.   For now he knew that you were all of the above: his friend, his second family, his grand kids, his 3 daughters, and his only son all wrapped into one special package.   It goes without saying that no one meant more to him and let me end here with this final prayer.   Dad, while I know that for all you have been through you are seated on the closest's side to God and if He allows you any say as to where and upon whom to shine your guiding light my sisters and I will always insist that the path you brighten must FOREVER be Mom's.

So, until we meet again, goodbye for now Dad.   And I'll bring the beer this time!